Snowdog

My 2001 Alero is starting to rust on the rear quarters
Took it to a body shop and they would not touch it.
It is very minor, but they said it is rusted thru.
Any one have this problem?

Olds64

That is hardly noticeable in the pictures. If you want to slow the rust down use a grinding wheel to remove the paint and rust. Then use rust dissolving jelly on the rust. Grind it some more, and use more rust dissolver. Finally primer it with rust inhibiting paint like Rust-O-Leum. Once the rust inhibitor cures you can sand and spray it with color match spray paint you get at the local auto parts store. This will stop it in its tracks. To repair it you will probably have to cut the rust out and weld in new metal.

copper128

Every 2dr Alero and Grand Am around where I live is rusted in that same area. Mine has rust holes at both corners of the quarter panel (just behind the door and just in front of the wheel well) on both sides. That rust starts from the inside and your body shop is right - by the time you see it, it's too late. The metal will be paper thin. If you take a grinder to it you'll end up with holes. Only option is to cut it out and weld in a patch panel. Body shops hate doing that kind of work because it's always a bigger job than it initially appears, and the only guarantee they can give on rust repair is that it will rust again! Tough to make a customer happy like that.

My 2001 is too far gone to bother fixing rust holes. I'm just happy for every day it starts and drives

MDchanic

If it's rusted through, then it's not very minor.

- Eric

69442C

Here is what you need to do. Keep in mind that if you do nothing, this problem will only get worse.

Rust is usually a result of bare metal being exposed to moisture or debris getting behind a panel and when the debris gets wet, it holds the moisture for a long period of time and it causes metal to rust. Many times the rust comes from the back and out to the front. So the first thing I would do is a little detective work. Can you get to the back of the area where the rust is and see if dirt or leaves are in there? If so, how is the stuff getting in there? Or, is is rusting from rock chips on the exterior of the panel? Is the other side doing the same thing? If this is a common problem with this model, I suspect it's an issue of debris on the back side of the panel. If you can understand how the problem started and take steps to prevent them from happening again, you can minimize any re-occurance in the future once the area has been repaired. It's important you understand the nature of the problem so you can find a long term solution.

With this said, find another shop. Yes, most production shops don't like to mess with rust as it can turn into a can of worms but there are those who will do it. If necessary, look into a restoration shop as they will have lots of experience with rust and hopefully they will help you. Nothing that is available through the local auto parts store will be of any value to you in fixing this problem. If you don't have the skills to do this work yourself, find someone who does. Using jellies and rattle can paints will only offer a temporary fix and in many cases will give professional shops concern about doing a repair in the future if they see a poor previous attempt was made.

The damage doesn't look too bad at this point so the amount of metal that likely needs to be replaced should be minimal. A quality shop can make a patch to replace the damaged metal and finish the area so you wouldn't know a repair had been done. You want to make sure the shop will seal the back side of the repair too which should be done with seam sealers and epoxy primer. If they just want to spray undercoat in there first, that is not the way it's done. Tell them you want the metal to be clean and sealed with epoxy primer when they are done. Epoxy is waterproof. If the other side of the car is solid, get in there, clean it up well and ask the shop to apply epoxy primer in there too. And do what you need to to keep crud from getting in there in the first place, asuming this is the issue. If you need to, open it up every year or so and clean it out. Or, just make sure the drain holes that are in that area stay open so water can drain out. Sometimes if they clog, water has no where to go and just sits back there.

Find a shop that is willing to stand behind their work. Many won't guarantee rust repairs but some will stand behind it for a while. So ask them about their policy and get it in writing when you decide on a particular shop. Those that know what they are doing will be willing to offer some type of warranty and will be easy to work with. And ask them exactly how they plan to fix the problem. If someone wants to just grind it down and fill the holes with bondo, get in your car and leave. Also ask if they will provide photos of the repair as it is being done. Or allow you to inspect the progress each day. You'll seem like a pain in the butt to them but its your car, your money and you should be able to get it repaired correctly. The right shop will accommodate your requests.

Good luck.

Brian

Tony72Cutlass'S'

Some people are gonna be up in arms, but i painted my entire car with Sico Corrostop (kind of like a powder coat type rust-oleum of paint for bare metal on dune buggies and stuff) when i was in college... Mainly because paint jobs are expensive, BUT, that puppy don't rust :P

-Tony

Snowdog

I would think by now patch panels are out there. Anyone know where I can find them?
Every Alero 2 door Alero I see is rusted in the same place

Allan R

I went through this with my 95 Ninety Eight Regency Elite. Here's what my experience has taught me. If you have owned this car since 2001 and only now just noticed the rust?? Let's see pics of the rocker and the inside of the door pinch welds. If it's what happened to my car the best advice I can give you is SELL IT fast before it's more noticeable. I spent over 9,000.00 replacing both sides rockers and pillars, trunk lid and both quarters. If I could go back in time and re-assess? I would never have bought it in the first place. But knowing what it was? I thought I could make a go of it. All it did was turn into a money pit. Sorry it sounds so negative, but I know firsthand how invasive rust is and how it just never stops. A lot of times on these cars, they rust out from the inside.

How did your bodyshop determine that it is rusted through?

Firebrand

Wow Snowdog,

We must have twins separated at birth. My green '02 Alero GLS seems to be discolored in this area above the rocker panel. I have had a hard time accepting it is actually rusting. I am forgetting at the moment if it is behind front wheel or in front of rear wheel, I think the latter as someone suggested. I haven't really given it much thought yet what I am going to do, but obviously this is a model flaw based on this thread. I just noticed this in the last few weeks, but my car did just pass 100k and 10 years, so some more cosmetic boo-boos are bound to crop up...

Still, I expect rust issues on the 40+ year old Cutlass I want to restore, not so much on my only 10 year old "new" car that's garaged every night.

x2 on patch panels/best course of action, I'm not sure I really want to put a lot of money into this car though...

B964

If you do try to slow it down yourself remember you will see your work everyday. Not doubting your skills and advise you will find here but.......

Hoping to slow the rust by more than a year or so AND have the repair look better than the rust does now for a Saturday with a grinder and a rattle can may be wishful thinking. Everyone here has seen a bondo/rattle can repair that would have looked better with the dent or rust spot.

Once you start grinding there will be holes. Can't weld rusty holes shut so either you cut out to good metal (now hole is 10 times as large), weld in new, fill prime and paint OR without a welder you bondo the holes, prime and paint. One way somewhat expensive and needing welder and skills, the other a cover up and never be right.

I would keep it clean, drive, enjoy it and keep an eye out for "the little old lady" car just like it.

Snowdog

I will Get this repaired because In 2001 they made 782 Aleros with a 5 speed.
With my color and options I have the only ONE made in the World. Yes this is true.
They made 21,293 Alero GL CPE 2 DR. My Build Date was The 2nd week of March 2001
Took Delivery on March 20, 2001, First day of Spring of that year

oldsrocket88

I feel your pain...gotta love ILLinois... land of rust

Allan R

X2 on the pain. FWIW get a good repair and also have the inside of the panels sprayed with rust inhibitors as much as you can. From my experience rust will come back no matter how hard you work at keeping it away. I'm not sure it's as related to the repair as it is to the actual design. Wishing you all the best luck with killing the rust dead. That was the ultimate reason I finally parted with my 98

Destructor

Illinois is in the salt belt, I assume they use salt. I live in Mass. Our cars are going to rust. A garage is almost irrelevant during the winter. You pull a wet salt covered car into a garage and it rusts in the garage. My 2000 Grand Marquis is rusting. At this point I spray the rust areas with oil and rub grease into them. I’m only concerned with slowing it down so I can continue to pass inspection, the car still looks good and runs perfect, most of the rust is where it can’t be easily seen. A few years ago I bought an 07 Grand Marquis. I park it during the winter. It’s never exposed to salt. Washing the salt off is the only thing you can do but if the roads are covered with salt it just gets right back on. If the source of rust is due to accumulated debris you can usually wash it out with the hose if you can get a hose in those areas and if drain holes will let out the debris. The bottom of the front fenders is a perfect example of where debris sits and can usually be easily washed out. I take my trunk liner apart to get to the bottoms of the rear quarters to wash out accumulated salt and dust which works its way in through the drain holes.

My 70 Cutlass, I don’t even wash because that would get it wet.

Snowdog

Took it to a shop that would actually do the work.. over $2000.00. no patch panels made, need a full Quarter. Please help me ..Head south with a saw for a 12 by 12 piece of metal?

supertrucker1978

I had a 1995 S-10 that was the "only one" but in the grand scheme of things it was still just an S-10 and I'm sorry to say it but your Alero is just an Alero. But if it means that much to you then get it fixed right and cost shouldn't be an issue. Probably the reason they told you it needs a entire quarter panel is because no one will sell them just the lower part of the quarter panel so you will have to buy an entire quarter panel. Its hard to sell a quarter panel with a 12x12 inch hole in it.

slantflat

Check Sherman and Associates. They have full panels and patch panels for a number of cars; the Alero is old enough they might have something made for it, or maybe bought some NOS from sinking Oldsmobile itself. They have some pretty obscure things and an Alero isn't obscure.


Mike

Snowdog

No this is the only one made in 2001 have the documents to prove it

Snowdog

Sent them a E-mail will see what they say Thanks for yor help

Rickman48

I've over 20 yrs in Lockport, and probably know the guys that quoted you!
PM your phone # and I'll get you straight!

supertrucker1978

If you got your documents from compnine.com then I had the same documents for my S-10. If you pick apart every car far enough, each one is the only one built. What made my S-10 rare is it had a factory tinted sliding rear window. Every car has a different VIN number which can be called "the only one built" with that VIN number. If this car has sentimental value to you then great. Spend the money,get it fixed right and take great care of it. But if your thinking that 30 years from now your car will be a high dollar collector item, you probably are in for a disappointment.